"I've attended seven different schools, and it was hard to be the new girl and starting over and starting over and starting over," said Lafontant, while sitting in a classroom at Framingham High School.

As her family's needs and situations changed, so did her environs. It wasn't until she arrived at Framingham a few years ago when she began to find her place.

After struggling early in the classroom, she was encouraged to enroll in a non-profit program called Resiliency For Life. Funded entirely by donations, it takes at-risk students and gives them special attention.

"It was really hard for her, I think it took her a while to build trust. And once she let that seep away, she just flourished," said program coordinator Mark Goldschmidt.

"I said 'Why not?' I was actually going to do something about it," added Lafontant.

The program, often dubbed RFL, helped spark a remarkable turnaround. Her grades dramatically improved, and she became involved in forensics and a Model Congress program, which took her to Yale University.

"Now, it's just good news all over the place," said Goldschmidt, boasting about Lafontant's enrollment in college prep and advanced placement classes. "She's just thriving."

As she prepares to graduate, Lafontant has her eyes set on enrolling at UMass Boston and majoring in education, a profession for which she gained a new respect at Framingham.

"That's my dream job, and I hope to be one of those people on the (RFL) board to give lots of money. I love this program, if you couldn't tell!"

While she works part-time at a coffee shop to help save for college, she is grateful to Goldschmidt and the staff at Framingham for re-shaping her future.

"The person I am today is the person I've always dreamed of being. Anyone can turn their lives around, they need a person to help them out, or a person, or a program or a community."

WHETHER HE WOULD LIKE IT OR NOT, CHANGE IS A FACT OF LIFE. ONE YOUNG WOMAN HAD TO DEAL WITH JUST TOO MUCH. SEVEN SCHOOLS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. AS JIM LOKAY SHOWS US, SHE FOUND HER WAY AT FRAMINGHAM HIGH IN THIS WEEK'S A-PLUS. IN THE CLOTHING ROOM, SHE IS IN THE MIDDLE OF ONE OF HER FINAL PROJECTS. YOU ARE ONE STEP AHEAD OF ME HERE. I TOOK IT UPON MYSELF. IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE, PUTS WOMEN BEHIND THAT BRIGHT SMILE SHE HAD TO DEAL WITH A LOT OF CHANGE IN FAMILY LIFE THROUGHOUT HER YEARS. I ATTENDED SEVEN DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. IT WAS HARD BEING THE NEW GIRL AND STARTING OVER AND STARTING OVER AND STARTING OVER. IT WAS HARD FOR HER AT FIRST I THINK TO TRUST AND ONCE SHE LET THAT SHEEP SEEP AWAY SHE FLOURISHED. THEY TAKE AT-RISK KIDS AND GIVES THEM SPECIAL ATEX ENCOURAGING THEM TO STAY STRONG AND FOCUS ON ACADEMICS. HE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND I SAID WHY NOT. I WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. THAT SPARKED A REMARKABLE TURNAROUND. D'S AND F'S BECAME A'S AND B'S. SHE HAD A CHANCE TO YALE. AP CLASSES AND CP 1 CLASSES AND JUST DRIVING. WITH TIME TICKING DOWN IN THE SENIOR YEAR IN FRAMINGHAM AND A ACROSS NEW ENGLAND, SHE HAS HER EYES SET ON HER NEXT STEP THAT IS NOT TOO FAR AWAY FROM HERE. I WILL BE ATTENDING U.S. BOSTON NEXT YEAR AND HOPEFULLY I CAN BECOME A TEACHER. THAT IS MY DREAM JOB RIGHT MOW. AND I HOPE TO -- I HOPE I CAN COME BACK AND HOPE TO BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE ON THE BOARD THAT JUST GIVES MONEY LIKE I LOVE THIS PROGRAM SO MUCH. SHE SUMS UP HER BRIEF TIME AT FRAMINGHAM LIKE THIS. THE PERSON I AM TODAY IS THE PERSON I ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING. ANYONE CAN TURN THEIR LIFE AROUND. SOMETIMES THEY JUST NEED LIKE A PERSON TO HELP THEM OUT OR A PROGRAM OR A SCHOOL OR A COMMUNITY. THIS WEEK'S A-PLUS. I'M JIM LOKAY, WCVB NEWSCENTER5. WHAT A SWEET HEART. AND JUST LOOKS SO HAPPY AND HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN SAY THAT? I'M THE PERSON I WAS HOPING I WOULD BE.